Chapter 3: Parallels
FOR THIS CHAPTER, I WANT TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT. THIS IS THE POINT OF THE STORY WHERE I ALTERNATE BETWEEN THE POINTS OF VIEW WITH ENVY, EDWARD, AND THIRD PERSON. FIRST, IM GONNA TACKLE ENVY'S SIDE OF THE STORY, THEN END THIS CHAPTER OFF WITH ED.
ENVY POV
God damnit! Here I am looking for a short-ass runt, and a living tin can around this damn country for the stone. I assure you, that stone will be mine, but I've decided not to let my anger blind my direction.
I ran at full throttle until I arrived at some random town that borders Central. I took the perfect opportunity to transform into your average and worthless human boy. As much as the plan pained me, I pretended to be a long-lost friend of the brothers who wanted to search for them. Oh, but the reality was quite the contrary. I wanted to torture those boys until they screamed for mercy.
I would go around with fake enthusiasm, asking people "Hi! Have you seen the FullMetal Pip - I mean Alchemist lately?" But to my luck, nobody in this dull-ass town saw who I was looking for. Hell, some of the towns people never even heard of the guy. Ha, just goes to show how worthless and oblivious humans are.
Speaking of this town, it's called Cement Town when it really should be called Ignorant Town, and its known for having folks who mine in the nearby caves for all sorts of minerals. I only wish the Philosopher's Stone was on that list of minerals. Anyhow, the streets were made out of cobblestone that was smooth and cool to the touch of my feet. The houses and buildings were small in size, mainly comprised of blacksmith workshops, some markets, and living quarters. The skies on that day were bleak and cloudy, making the town look rather depressing, like my life damnit. There's also this famous library that houses lots of books on different types rocks and minerals as well, sounds boorringg. And there's also a train station in this town along with some minecarts that are used to access the nearby mines and tunnels. And did I mention, the town settled next to a large and lush jungle called Concordia Jungle, what does that even mean? I swear the words these humans come up with.
Then the idea struck me. The boys are too stupid and prideful to use the stone right away, so I figured they would be trying to read up on every damn book in Amestris to learn more on the stone first. I knew this because we all know what happened in Lab 5, oh how I wanted to slug him in the head so hard. Considering my surroundings, I anticipated that the boys would arrive in a place like this.
When the thoughts crossed my mind, a light switch came on. Why hunt for my prey when I can blend in and wait to strike? Clever, aren't I? As I continued to walk down the towns streets in that boy form, I had my signature grin on my face; I couldn't hold my excitement. I started to chuckle softly and outloud. I didn't care how I looked in front of these walking livestock, they would all die and become nutrients eventually anyways.
Did I mention? The trailer restaurant that Lust, Gluttony, and I took over is on the outskirts of the town, but it's also where the train station is. Ha, looks like living for 400 years has its perks after all, I basically know the country like the back of my hand, almost.
As such, when I went far enough away from the busy parts of town, I changed back to my adorable form we all know and love. Eventually, I found the restaurant, and when I got to the door, the front door had a sign which read "CONDEMNED."
"Condemned? That works for me." I said as I shapeshited my hand into a crowbar to bust open the locks on the door. I would've kicked down the damn thing, but I didn't want any brain-dead human to get the wrong idea and just walk right in without permission. They probably closed it down because they realized the shitty owner of the restaurant had died from a "strange event". Let's keep that a secret shall we?
The inside of the trailer still looked like how we had left it. Even though there was no one cooking, the trailer still had slight scents of various meats and alcohol. The walls were still gray and wooden with bits of its chipped off, giving the walls an old and worn-down feeling. The seats and the tables were left unchanged, yep, just like how I remember it.
I decided to situate myself in the abandoned trailer by, first, making a bed in one of the seats. I looked around and found some fresh towels, tablecloths, and some duct tape. I, then, crumpled all the pieces of cloth into a ball-like shape, taped the shape in place, put my beautiful creation on the edge of a seat by a window, and softly rested my head on the pillow. It was relaxing; though I prefer the bed at had at my masters place, it was refreshing to be away from that place. Homunculi like me don't really need sleep, but it's how I meditate, and it helps pass the time.
Even though I was calm and alone, something or things felt missing from the last time I was here, but I seem fine without. Damn my imagination, why would I have such a thought? Oh well, what matters now is to see the look on that pipsqueaks face when he boards off the station, I just know he'll come here, he's predictable for a human after all.
ED POV
When I woke up from from my long slumber, it was dawn, which followed the new day that would come shortly after. I did the usual wake-up routine: brush teeth, rinse mouth, shower body, and put on new clothes. All the while, Alphonse and Pinako were nowhere to be seen around the house, how strange. I guess they had a morning errand to do, and seeing how Pinako is still working, as old as she is, Al probably decided to assist her in whatever.
I ate food that was leftover from yesterday's meal, which included half a serving of porridge and some steak, which I heated up with alchemy. The food still retained its wonderful taste, and heartwarming texture as I chewed and swallowed each bite. It reminded me of my mom's own cooking. It always felt nice coming to Resembool after a long trip knowing that they'll be a family to come back to.
I ate my meal slowly in the hopes of seeing if Al and Pinako would come back in time for my departure. After all, I didn't want to leave them without saying goodbye at least. And why hasn't Winry come back yet from wherever she was at? I started to worry for her sake, but then I thought, maybe Al and Pinako were looking for her as I ate.
Nevertheless, I finished my meal and packed up my things for the somewhat long trip to come. I waited a few minutes for any indication of their return, but no such thing occurred. I couldn't wait forever, so I decided to take my leave anyways. If anything, I would write a letter to them once I reach my destination of Cement Town, they would understand my impatience.
From what I heard, Cement Town had a history of developing phony philosopher stones for wars, experiments, and perhaps, genocides. Hmph, I bet the homunculi had their parts in that. Anyway, the town's also known for being a home to miners and a large archive of books that could potentially have some info on the philosopher stone, if any. This might be my best lead.
I had on my usual clothing, braided my hair, held a suitcase for my belongings, and finally set out on my new journey. The dawn is always beautiful in Resembool, one of my all time favorite sights to see. The sun peeked through the mountains which gave the skies and clouds a bluish and pinkish tinge of color. The birds chirping replaced the silence of the scene, and the breeze was pleasant to the touch of my skin. The dew water droplets that formed on the tree leaves sparkled naturally as I walked on the dirt road to the train station.
Oh yes, this trip is looking to be life changing.
Already, I missed having Al around to talk to every now and then, but exploring on my own wasn't foreign to me, so I would get used to it. I just kept walking with a quietly while looking at the surrounding and familiar scenery until I reached the train station. Good thing I made it on time; my train arrives at 6:45am, and leaves 6:50am.
Once I made it there, I noticed two familiar figures; one pretty short figure(feels good to say that), and a taller and metallic-looking figure stood facing towards me.
"Alphonse! Pinako!" I shouted excitedly as I raced towards them before coming to a full stop in front of them.
"Hi brother, what took you so long?" Al asked politely.
"Uh, how was I supposed to know you two would wait for me here? I was a bit scared, but then I thought y'all would go look for Winry by now." I said sternly.
"Well, a little scare won't hurt anyone." Pinako said, chuckling at my reaction, damn her jeez.
"And Winry called saying that she met up with Sheska in the town she's at, so she's going to be over there longer than expected." Al said to reassure me.
"Whew . . . well I'm glad to hear that. I thought she got kidnapped or something." I said gleefully.
"And she also wished you luck on your journey brother, I filled her in on everything." Al said.
I blushed a bit at Winry's message, and I finally thanked Al for passing it along. By the time the conversation ended, my train came traversing along the tracks, finally stopping coming to a stop in front of us. Afterwards, the passenger door opened, revealing a happy driver waving his hand, and I waved back.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye, for now anyway." I said in a sadder tone.
"Don't worry about me brother, I'll be fine here at home, I'm more worried about you to be honest." Al said trying to cheer me up.
"Yeah, I'll try not to worry too much, and I promise not to get into too much trouble if I can avoid it." I responded back.
"Just make sure not to go overboard on the automail lad, I assume we won't be seeing you in a while." Pinako said in her cranky usual voice.
"Yeah I'll be careful. I feel as though this automail is of higher quality than the one before, so I'm confident in its condition." I said.
"Well I'm flattered, and make sure to drink your milk you prideful midget." Pinako said.
Al laughed expectedly, but I couldn't contain my eventual outburst.
"HOW BOUT YOU GET A TASTE OF YOUR OWN MEDICINE! LOOKS LIKE YOU COULD USE SOME YOU CRUSTY CATERPILLAR-SIZED HAG!" I yelled out loud at her.
Both Al and Pinako laughed at my outburst instead of feeling threatened by it, I guess it was for good ol times sake. Pinako and I always had back-and-forth arguments, but they were never usually taken seriously. I guess it's how I bonded with her. I couldn't help but smile at those two lovable bastards hehe.
"Alright, I should be off then, don't want to keep the driver waiting." I said as I embraced both Al and Pinako in a hug that lasted for a good ten seconds. It was a pleasant moment among us all.
"Goodbye Ed." Al and Pinako said in unison.
And finally, I walked onto the train and sat on the side that showed the two waving to me through the window. Naturally I waved back until the two were out of my view as the train moved faster and faster.
Now here I am, all by myself, going on a journey that will lead me to who knows where, or what. Part of me was anxious for the unknown, but the other part was excited for what I might learn out of this journey. I, however, decided to always keep my guard up for a particular shapeshifter, he could be lurking anywhere. Hell, Envy could very well be the train driver, but I'm not that paranoid. I feel like I'm getting better at figuring out whether its him or not, I guess it's instinct. But nonetheless, I remained calm for the duration of the train ride, taking in all the surrounding scenery, and just be awe-inspired by my own country. At the same time, I was also thinking about how to beat Envy should I ever encounter him on this trip, it was something pretty important to think about. It wouldn't be too much longer until I would arrive at Cement Town.
No regrets.
END OF CHAPTER 3
